Emotional upset and POTS

[Old Bones]

@Wayne Thanks for joining the discussion.

One thing that has worked well for me has been to take daily morning coffee enemas.

I can't imagine the time commitment of daily coffee enemas. A few years ago, a naturopath recommended a series of colonic irrigation treatments, one of which involved coffee. I was pretty sceptical, but amazed to notice improvements after the first session -- one being a sudden end to years of frequent urination. Since then, I've periodically done weekly CE's at home. Based on your experience, I think I'll start again and see what effect they have on my elevated heart rate.

Mornings are usually the most difficult times for me, a time I now think I'm most sympathetic dominant.

I, too, often feel my worst first thing in morning. My HR is very high after getting up before settling down a bit. Then, it gradually increases as the day progresses.

More recently (this past week), I've begun experimenting with holding my breath.

Unintentionally holding my breath has been typical for me ever since my diagnosis years ago. This is immediately followed by what feels like very rapid heart palpitations (actually recorded by my BP monitor if I'm in the process of measuring). I suspect this is caused by my brain's effort to counteract the resulting drop in oxygen.

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Below is the picture of an exercise I sometimes do during the few times I'm out and about. . . .
I notice it's especially helpful when I'm forced to sit under fluorescent lighting.

Avoiding fluorscent lights is important for me as well -- there's not a single CFL in our home. I'll try your exercise and see what happens.

I've noticed most of us human beings seem to be generously endowed with a certain number of "blind spots". Unfortunately, it often seems men have more than their fair share!

I chuckled at your comment about men, especially it coming from a man. Yes, we all have "blind spots". No doubt I'm not as aware of my own as I should be; or would be, if not for my husband being a usually kind and great guy.

 

[Gingergrrl]

I don't believe this is accurate. The actual motor function of the diaphragm muscle is controlled via the PNS/phrenic nerve. There is sensory information carried on the vagus nerve that helps determine respiratory rate but I believe that's the extent of the involvement of the vagus nerve in breathing.

@halcyon & all, I had an appt with my MCAS doc this morning and asked him out of curiosity re: this issue b/c I will be doing some pulmonary and diaphragm tests and he said that both the Vagus and the Phrenic nerve go to the diaphragm. I did not ask him to elaborate b/c of limited time (and I doubted I would understand the answer!) but both seem to be correct.

I chuckled at your comment about men, especially it coming from a man. Yes, we all have "blind spots". No doubt I'm not as aware of my own as I should be; or would be, if not for my husband being a usually kind and great guy.

Great quotes (@Wayne and @Old Bones) and I feel the same way that we all have "blind spots" but that generally my husband is a kind and great guy like yours, and I am normally pretty forgiving, so I think we both just accept each others blind spots and don't focus on them too much!

 

[halcyon]

he said that both the Vagus and the Phrenic nerve go to the diaphragm

Well, he's the doctor I guess. All I can look at is Wikipedia and anatomy charts and I don't see anything that shows the vagus nerve supplying the diaphragm. According to Wikipedia, the only skeletal muscles that the vagus nerve controls are in the mouth and throat.

 

[Gingergrrl]

Well, he's the doctor I guess. All I can look at is Wikipedia and anatomy charts and I don't see anything that shows the vagus nerve supplying the diaphragm. According to Wikipedia, the only skeletal muscles that the vagus nerve controls are in the mouth and throat.

How weird and I actually have no idea and should have asked him further questions!

 

[Old Bones]

@Gingergrrl Like you, I have no idea. But, after reading the posts by @halcyon, I decided to do a bit more checking.

Today's search was for "diaphram and vagus nerve". Here's a link to one report I found from the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3731110/. The keywords in this report are: diaphragm, fascia, phrenic nerve, vagus nerve, and pelvis. If you do a search of the entire document, the word "vagus" appears 18 times. Here's one quote that seems to support your doctor's advice that both the vagus and phrenic nerves go to the diaphram.

"With reference to neurology, the phrenic nerve along its pathway anastomoses with the vagus, while the vagus runs through the crural region of the diaphragm, innervating this area."

Now, I guess I'll have to get out the dictionary, since I'm scratching my head over the words anastomoses, crural and innervating!!! Take a look (or not), and let me know if it makes any sense to you.

 

[Gingergrrl]

Now, I guess I'll have to get out the dictionary, since I'm scratching my head over the words anastomoses, crural and innervating!!! Take a look (or not), and let me know if it makes any sense to you.

@Old Bones Thank you and will definitely take a look but chances are that I will not understand it either!

 

[Gijs]

Well, he's the doctor I guess. All I can look at is Wikipedia and anatomy charts and I don't see anything that shows the vagus nerve supplying the diaphragm. According to Wikipedia, the only skeletal muscles that the vagus nerve controls are in the mouth and throat.

Yes, the Vagus Nerve is also conected with the diaphragm and solar plexus that is what i know too.